Wright told BBC WM: “It needs to be the right fit, but then we’ve said that of the last three or four managers.

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Alan Wright finished his 721-game playing career with Fleetwood Town in 2011. He has since coached at former club Blackpool, been assistant manager at Northwich and managed Southport.

“They’ve just got to give the guy time. It needs some sort of philosophy at the club. We’ve had too many managers coming in with their own philosophy.

“To get any sort of continuity, the manager needs a bit of time first and foremost. Then, with the philosophy in place, bring in the manager that suits the philosophy.

“Then nothing else changes. You get an idea of what’s expected of you, rather than six months on another new manager, they change things and try to start from afresh.

“With all due respect to the club, they’ve possibly been a bit trigger happy this time. But we all know it’s a results-based industry and he just hasn’t got the results, so I’m not too surprised.”

Villa’s managerial success rates since 1994

Who will get the Villa job?

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Steve Bruce, Tim Sherwood and David Wagner are all tipped as Aston Villa contenders

The latest contender reportedly linked with the Villa job is much-travelled former Cheltenham Town, Stoke City, Burnley. Notts County, Portsmouth, Nottingham Forest and Bristol City manager Steve Cotterill, who is currently topping the bookmakers’ odds as favourite to replace Tony Mowbray at League One neighbours Coventry City.

But Wright believes it will come down to a choice between former Birmingham, Sunderland and Hull boss Steve Bruce, Huddersfield Town manager David Wagner, or Tim Sherwood, sacked by Villa a year ago after only eight months in charge.

“Villa need some sort of name. Steve Bruce fits that bill,” said Wright.

“I’m pretty sure Villa aren’t going to go up this season unless they go on some sort of amazing run but he is someone who knows how to get out of the Championship, having done it four times. He’d be the obvious one.

“But I also believe Tim has shown interest in the job again, which tells me that he probably feels his job was not finished there.

“He wasn’t given the chance to be allowed to bring in the players he wanted. They were sort of thrown at him and he was told to work with them. And the fans liked him. He was honest.

“David Wagner is fresh to the English game and has done outstandingly well.

“It’s probably going to be one of those three and, if I was a gambling man, which I’m not, I’d go with Steve Bruce.”

Alan Wright was talking to BBC WM’s Adrian Goldberg.

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Wright played 334 times for Villa after being signed from Blackburn by Brian Little in March 1995. He also had four years under John Gregory, then 15 months under Graham Taylor, before being moved on, in August 2003, by David O’Leary, who never picked him